


A New Home

by harrisonbored



Series: Two Pilots and a Baby [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adoption, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Han and Luke Are Trying, Leia’s not in this as much as it seems oops, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 08:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13609056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrisonbored/pseuds/harrisonbored
Summary: In the wake of tragedy, Leia needs somebody to take care of Poe while she tries to clean up the pieces. Han and Luke step in.(Prequel to Phantasms, but both can stand alone.)





	A New Home

**Author's Note:**

> more of my adoptive skysolo dads with toddler poe!!! origin story edition!!!! bc i love this au now holy shit!!!
> 
> according to wookiepedia (aka the one stop shop for new eu shit that i'm too lazy to actually read myself) poe was two when the battle of endor happened, so he's three, almost four in this.

It was late in the evening when a heavy knock landed on the door of Luke and Han's shared apartment. Luke was mostly asleep on Han's shoulder, having dozed off while watching a documentary holo earlier. Han had switched the channel to grav-ball, but was barely paying attention. 

Han and Luke both jumped at the sudden sound. "I've got it," Han whispered, gently shrugging Luke off of his shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

Luke didn't argue and tucked his head into the crevice between the armrest and back of the sofa, still warm from where Han had been sitting. 

Han opened the door to find Leia standing there, hand half raised to knock again. In one arm, she carried a little boy- Kes and Shara's boy, Poe, to be exact. 

"Leia?" Han asked. "What the hell's goin' on?"

"Shhh!" Leia chastised him. "You'll wake him up! I just got him to sleep on the way over here." She looked horribly upset. 

"Listen, I need you to watch him for tonight," Leia said, not beating around the bush. "Kes and Shara are being shipped back to base. It's a medical emergency."

"Why does he need to stay here, though? Wasn't he already at a care center while they were gone?" Despite his words, Han had already reached out to take him from Leia. 

Leia sighed. "It's... It's not looking good, Han. If anything... Traumatic... Happens, I don't want him in a care center full of strangers. He likes you and Luke, he knows your place pretty well, and I'd keep him if I weren't so busy."

"All right," Han conceded. Leia, grateful that he didn't seem to be putting up a fight, shrugged a duffle bag of supplies off of her other shoulder. 

"This was what was with him at the care center. If he ends up hanging around for much longer, I'll have some of his things from home brought in for you. Please, just- just try to make him comfortable, okay?" Leia was fighting back tears at this point, shaking as Han took the bag from her. 

"Do you want to come in? Get a drink before you head back out? I know you're coming from almost halfway 'cross the planet," Han offered. He reached out and passed his free hand over Leia's hair. He knew how close she had been to Kes and Shara, especially Shara. If either of them were lost, it would be nearly as devastating to her as losing him or Luke.

"No, I really have to get going," Leia said wetly. "Thank you," she added, running her thumb along Poe's cheek.

"Happy to help," Han replied, adjusting Poe in his arms. 

"I'll talk to you in the morning," Leia promised as she turned to walk away. 

"Talk to you then," Han answered, waving her off. 

Once he re-entered the apartment, Luke practically met him in the foyer. 

"What's going on?" he asked, looking Han over. 

"Something happened on the last recon mission. Both Damerons are out of commission, and it's not looking good. Leia wants us to look after him for the foreseeable future."

Luke bit his lip. "Are they...?"

"Not yet," Han said. "But the way Leia talked made it seems like it doesn't look like it'll be much longer."

Luke fell silent. He stared down at the floor for the moment, before looking up at them both. Poe was still asleep, but fussing like it wouldn't take much to wake him up. Luke reached out and smoothed his curls, which calmed him down, for the moment.

"Is the guest room set up?" Han asked. 

"I think, I'll go make sure there's nothing he can get into," Luke said, hurrying back towards the bedrooms. 

About the time that Luke disappeared from the living room, Poe started fidgeting again. "Shhh," Han attempted to soothe, replicating Luke's movements, although it didn't seem to be working. 

Poe pushed away from Han a little to get a look at his surroundings. He almost looked panicked, until he saw who was holding him.

"Hey, bud," Han said quietly, putting his other hand on Poe's back for support. 

Poe squinted a little, confused. "Leia?"

"She had to go back to work," Han told him. "You're gonna stay with me and Luke tonight, if that's okay with you."

Poe nodded after a short pause. 

"Good," Han said, grinning. "You need anything, pal?"

Poe thought for a moment. "Thirsty," he said finally. 

"Whatcha want, kiddo?" Han asked, thankful that there was something he could actually do. 

Poe shrugged. 

"How does some milk sound?" Han suggested, walking over the fridge. He was glad that Luke had picked some up earlier that week for an old childhood recipe, or else there wouldn't be much else beyond water and some alcohol. 

Poe nodded in agreement. Han opened up the fridge and got the milk out with his spare hand. He sat Poe on the counter and rummaged through his bag to see if there were any cups with lids on them. He found one and filled it up before handing it off to Poe. 

"Luke should be back and your room should be ready soon," Han said, watching him as he drank.

Poe mostly seemed distracted by his milk. 

They sat in relative silence for a few minutes, until Luke came back from the bedroom. 

"All set up," Luke confirmed, relaxing a little. "Hello, Poe," he added, soft and friendly. 

Poe waved at him. Luke smiled and walked over to stand next to Han.

"You all done?" Luke asked. Poe nodded and handed him the empty cup. Luke sat it in the sink to be washed later. 

"All right, you ready for bed, kid?" Han asked, scooping Poe up from off the counter. Poe shook his head vigorously. 

"You're not? Well, how about we sit down and watch a holo until you are?" Han suggested. 

"Yeah!" Poe replied, agreeable. 

"All right, kiddo," Han said, carrying Poe back into the living room. Luke followed them and sat down on the couch, Han and Poe following suit. 

Han switched from grav-ball to some children's program he'd never seen before. Poe seemed enraptured by it, though, snuggling down into Han's lap with his eyes glued to the projection. 

After about an hour, Luke fell half asleep on Han's shoulder again, and Han was halfway to dozing off himself when he felt Poe trying to nuzzle his way into his collarbone. Han blinked sleepily and reached out to wrap his arms around the boy. 

"I think it's bedtime," he whispered, slowly standing up as not to jostle either Poe or Luke. Luke sat up straight and headed towards their bedroom, waiting in the doorway as Han carried Poe to the bedroom across the hall and tucked him in. 

After a quick goodnight, Han headed to bed, leaving the door cracked behind him. 

He and Luke were sleeping pretty peacefully when the comm went off, startling both of them nearly out of bed. 

Han slammed his hand down to answer the call. "What?" he asked, groaning. 

"Is Poe in the room?" Leia, sounding supremely choked up.

"No," Han replied, suddenly wide awake. "Go close the door," Han instructed Luke, who nodded and hurried out of bed. 

"What's up?" Han asked once the door was shut. 

"Shara and Kes... They're... They're gone," Leia practically whispered, Han and Luke straining to hear what she'd said. 

"Oh, fuck," Han swore, his palms pressing into his forehead. 

"Where is Poe gonna end up?" Luke said, eyes wide with concern. 

"We don't know," Leia admitted. "He doesn't have much family outside of his parents, no surviving grandparents, one uncle who I know he's unfamiliar with.

"We can try to put him in some kind of foster care-"

"We'll watch him," Han cut her off, and Luke looked at him in shock. "We'll watch him for now, don't worry about Poe right now."

"Han-" Leia began.

"No, Leia, it's fine. Luke does most of his work from home these days, and I'm usually at the hangar, and it's only about a block away. He's already here, we can watch him while all of the funeral and legal stuff settles."

Leia was quiet for a moment, before she responded: "Okay. I'll get back to you as soon as possible about what's going on. Oh, and if Poe asks, don't lie to him. It won't do any good."

"We won't," Han and Luke promised simultaneously. 

"Take care of yourself, Leia," Han added. 

"I'll try," Leia replied defeatedly. 

With that, she ended the transmission, leaving Luke and Han in stunned silence. Luke looked at him incredulously.

"Why-"

"Look, Luke, I've been stuck in orphanages and on the streets and pretty much any other undesirable circumstance for a kid. I know it's better now, but it still sucks. I don't want him being shipped off to complete strangers in the wake of complete tragedy."

"So we're taking him in?"

"What other choice do we have? It's not ideal, and we have no idea if it'll be permanent or temporary, and if it's temporary how temporary-"

"Han-"

"-but it's the only choice we have and we're probably the best suited out of all of us to watch over him-"

"Han!"

"What?" Han stopped. 

Luke looked up at him, eyes a little wet, and wrapped his arms around his neck. 

"It's not an amazing situation, but if you're that determined to keep him around," Luke said, "then I won't fight you on it."

Han pulled away to meet Luke's eyes. "Good, so we agree."

"Poe stays here until further notice," Luke confirmed with a nod.

Han nodded and broke away from Luke, ears perking up at a faint sound. "Is he crying?" Han asked, head leaning towards the door. 

"...I think so," Luke said, listening closely. "I'll go get him."

Han let Luke go and watched him disappear across the hallway. The light in the other bedroom switched on. Han could hear Luke talking softly to Poe, although he couldn't make out what he was saying. 

Finally, Luke carried a tearstained Poe back into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed. Han didn't even have to ask for Luke to pass him over. 

"Bad dream," Luke whispered, running his fingers through Poe's hair. 

"Tough night, kiddo?" Han asked, tightening his grip on him. Poe nodded, scrubbing at his face with chubby hands. 

"Can I stay?" Poe hiccuped. 

"You want to stay with us for tonight?" Han questioned. Poe nodded again.

"Of course," Luke chimed in, trailing his fingers down Poe's back. 

"Only if you don't snore," Han added teasingly, tickling Poe's sides a little. Poe giggled, fat tears still running down his cheeks. 

Luke wriggled over so that there was plenty of room for Poe to lie down between them. Poe snuggled down, lying still as Han brought the blanket back down over him. 

After everyone was settled in, Poe began wriggling around a little. 

"Shh," Han mumbled, reaching out to rub a hand up and down Poe's back. It only took a few minutes for Poe to fall asleep. 

The next two or three days passed uneventfully. Han and Luke were extremely delicate around Poe, never mentioning his parents in front of him, for fear that it would upset him even worse if they told him without him asking first. Luke would leave the apartment for a couple hours most days, and he would come home to Han entertaining Poe with his toy starships or by telling him stories. One afternoon, he came home to both of them passed out on the couch. It was strangely, suddenly domestic. 

It had to come crashing down eventually, though. 

Four days after Poe had arrived, two before the funeral, they were sitting around the kitchen table, eating dinner. Poe, around a mouthful of food, asked, "When do I get to go home?"

Han and Luke fell silent, looking at each other warily. They knew this day was coming, but they were still outrageously unprepared. 

"Do you like staying here?" Luke began, cautiously. 

"Yeah!" Poe exclaimed, suddenly afraid he might have hurt their feelings. "I just wanna know."

More silence. Poe began to panic. Silence usually meant that something bad had happened, or at least that someone was upset. 

"I won't ask to go home again," Poe promised, slinking down in his seat. 

"No, sweetheart," Han said. He hurried over to Poe's side of the table and kneeled down in front of him. "No, it's fine that you asked."

"Then what did I do?" Poe asked softly. 

"You didn't do anything," Han murmured. He took a deep breath, preparing to move quickly. 

"Do you want to know why you came here instead of staying at the care center?" Han asked. He was surprised Poe hadn't already asked, as inquisitive as the kid normally was. 

"Mm-hmm." Poe nodded his head. 

Han closed his eyes and exhaled. "The night Leia brought you here," he explained, "your mama and daddy were in a very bad accident. They died."

Poe cocked his head to the side, seemingly not understanding. “But when are they coming back?”

Han’s heart clenched. “Poe, when people die... They don’t come back.”

“Is it something I did?” Poe asked, tearing up. “I want them to come back!”

“Oh, no, sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong. A very bad thing happened to them, it’s not their fault and it’s not your fault either.”

“So why aren’t they coming back?” Poe cried, endlessly frustrated. 

“It’s a part of life. People live for a while, and then they die and go away. It’s very sad, but they... They don’t hurt anymore. We hope they live and are happy, but that doesn’t always happen. When people die, they don’t come back.” Stars, why was this so hard to explain?

Poe tensed up and shook his head. "No."

"Poe, we would never lie to you," Luke chimed in, crossing over to kneel next to Han. "We-"

"No!" Suddenly, Poe squirmed out of their grasps, running away from them. 

"Poe!" Luke called out, hurrying off in the direction that Poe had disappeared in. Han took off after him, calling Poe's name as well.

While Han and Luke's apartment wasn't massive, it was a penthouse, and there were plenty of little nooks for Poe to hide in, or get hurt in. Luke was beginning to panic, and Han felt similarly, although he was hiding it much better than Luke was. 

"Luke, calm down," Han instructed, grabbing him by the shoulders. "He hasn't left the apartment, so we'll find him eventually."

"What if he gets electrocuted?" Luke asked, beginning to shake. "What if he cuts himself and it gets infected-"

"You're worrying too much," Han said. "Poe's a smart kid, he won't go anywhere where he knows he could get hurt. Check under furniture first. I'm gonna go check the closets." He paused and passed a soothing hand over Luke's hair. "He'll be okay, Luke. I promise."

Poe, in the meantime, was crammed behind some laundry baskets in the closet where the washer and dryer were. He had his hand clasped over his mouth, unable to breathe from how hard he was sobbing. He had reached that stage of hysteria where he no longer made any sound. He regretted running away; he really wanted Han and Luke.

Suddenly, the dark closet was filled with light as the doors opened. 

"Kriff- Luke, I found him!" Han called. He quickly began moving the baskets, trying to get to Poe. Poe, very much over hiding, reached out for Han as soon as he was in sight. 

"Oh, honey," Han sighed, voice heavy. He scooped Poe up into his arms and held him tightly. 

Luke came over in a heartbeat, reaching up and pulling Poe into his own grasp. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he repeated endlessly. 

Han took the opportunity to reach out and grab the blanket off of the top of the dryer. He brought it around both his and Luke's shoulders, easily encompassing Poe as well. They all slumped down to the floor, a heap of blanket and tears and warm bodies. 

After everyone had calmed down some (although Poe was still sobbing), Han pulled away a bit to talk to Poe. The conversation had to happen, and Han preferred it sooner rather than later. 

"Poe, do you want to stay with us?" Han asked. "Because if you don't want to, you don't have to. You can go live with your uncle, or Leia, or anyone else."

Poe shook his head. "I wanna stay here."

Luke and Han both let out a sigh of relief that neither of them realized they had been holding. In such a short amount of time, Poe had wormed his way into their hearts and taken up permanent residence. 

"Okay," Luke said softly. "Then you'll stay here."

That night, Poe slept firmly between Han and Luke, warm and safe and loved more than he could possibly imagine.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you all so much for your kind responses to this series!!! im still super nervous about posting my stuff but y’all make it easier!!!


End file.
